A village pre-school has launched a three-year campaign to raise £140,000 in a bid to replace its ageing portable building after more than 10 years.

Pupils and staff at Newton Solney Pre-school, in Trent Lane, have worked from the temporary building on the infants school site for 10 years and a new appeal has now been launched to finally build a permanent structure.

In a letter to the parish magazine, infants school head teacher Heidi Elks said that temporary permission to keep its portable building had been renewed several times, with permission running out every three years.

However, the school says it was told two years ago by planning officers at South Derbyshire District Council that it could only be granted temporary permission once more before the school was forced to build permanent premises. The council's planning policy states work must begin on the building within three years.

Newton Solney Pre-school wants to replace its temporary building with a permanent structure

The school opened in 1972 and pupils had previously been working from the village hall.

Mrs Elks said: "The portable building arrived here in 2007 when a school that no longer needed it offered it to us for our village pre-school who had been meeting in the village hall. We were extremely pleased to be able to help the pre-school to be settled in its own environment with attached play area. The building was granted temporary planning permission, and that has been renewed over the years.

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"However, in 2015, we were told that temporary permission would only be granted for one more year. After that the building must be made permanent or removed.

"Since then, pre-school leader Jill Williamson and I have been working with the planning department in South Derbyshire, and have finally received planning permission for a contemporary building the planners are happy with. As the school is within the conservation area, they have been very particular as to the sort of building that can be sited there.

Newton Solney Infants School with the Portacabin for its pre-school visible

"Now that planning permission has been granted we need to raise the money to make the building a reality. We have looked into funding streams and cannot find any funding that is available for buildings. We have therefore set up a fund-raising committee to head this very important venture. We need to raise approximately £140,000.

"We will be arranging fund-raising events and will also be inviting donations and funding ideas. We have three years to raise the funds and hope to be in a position to open the new building by February 2020. I know that this seems a long way off, but we hope that you will be able to support a project which will leave a legacy for children for many years to come.

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"Between us I am sure that we can undertake this very daunting challenge to provide a building that will be an asset for our children and the village alike." The pre-school caters for pupils aged two and a half to four.

Fund-raising has already started when a non-stop 10 hour jog around the village took place earlier this year and more than £1,000 was raised.